The preterite of encontrarse is used to express a specific instance of finding oneself or meeting someone in the past, for example Me encontré con mis amigos en el café (I met with my friends at the café). This reflexive verb emphasizes the completed action at a particular moment.

This is a regular -ar verb used reflexively, requiring the appropriate reflexive pronoun with each conjugation. The verb itself follows the standard preterite pattern for -ar verbs.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Encontrarse (to find oneself/meet) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of encontrarse indicates a completed action of meeting someone or finding oneself in a situation in the past.

To meet: Describes meeting someone, for example Me encontré con Juan en el parque (I met Juan in the park) or Se encontraron después de muchos años (They met after many years).

To find oneself: Used for ending up in a situation, for example Me encontré en una situación difícil (I found myself in a difficult situation).

Examples

Examples of Encontrarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me encontré con un viejo amigo en el café. (I met with an old friend at the cafe.)

Te encontraste en una situación difícil. (You found yourself in a difficult situation.)

Se encontró perdido en la ciudad. (He found himself lost in the city.)

Nos encontramos por casualidad en el parque. (We met by chance in the park.)

Se encontraron después de muchos años. (They met after many years.)

Me encontré sin dinero en el bolsillo. (I found myself without money in my pocket.)

Te encontraste con la sorpresa en casa. (You found yourself with the surprise at home.)

Se encontró con buenas noticias. (She found herself with good news.)

Nos encontramos en la reunión familiar. (We met at the family gathering.)

Se encontraron en el aeropuerto. (They met at the airport.)

Me encontré mejor después del descanso. (I found myself better after the rest.)

Te encontraste con tu ex en el supermercado. (You ran into your ex at the supermarket.)

Se encontró motivado para cambiar. (He found himself motivated to change.)

Nos encontramos listos para el desafío. (We found ourselves ready for the challenge.)

Se encontraron en medio de la celebración. (They met in the middle of the celebration.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Encontrarse (to find oneself/meet) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.